Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Changing Direction: Turning East On US Hwy 50

I've decided to suspend my road trip along US Hwy 101 and start heading east on US Hwy 50. My reasons for doing this are three-fold:

First, driving US Hwy 50 "End-To-End" has always been the primary goal of this extended road trip, and it starts just a few miles east of where I am now. Completing US101 prior to turning east on US50 would mean driving all the way down to the southern border and all the way back up. That's guaranteed to include a ton of traffic, etc., in addition to the miles. I'd rather pick up the last part of 101 on a future road trip.

Second, I'm honestly not finding US101 all that interesting. The Oregon coast was lovely, but since the road turned inland here in California it's been kinda boring. The road continues inland for almost all of the remaining route, and that doesn't bode well going forward. Again, I'd rather pick up the lower third of the route some other time.

Third, and most compelling, I've just been invited to participate in a truly fantastic expedition that begins on the east coast sometime mid-October. I can't tell you anything about it yet, but it's very, very exciting. If I tried to finish US101 I'd then have to move really fast on US 50, and that would kinda defeat the purpose of the road trip!

So, tomorrow morning I will change direction and turn east on US Hwy 50.

U.S. Route 50 is a major east–west route of the U.S. Highway system, stretching just over 3,000 miles (4,800 km) from West Sacramento, California to Ocean City, Maryland on the Atlantic Ocean. The route runs through mostly rural desert and mountains in the Western United States, with the section through Nevada known as "The Loneliest Road in America".

In the Midwest, US 50 continues through mostly rural areas of farms as well as a few large cities including Kansas City, Missouri; St. Louis, Missouri; and Cincinnati, Ohio. The route continues into the Eastern United States, where it passes through the Appalachian Mountains in West Virginia before heading through Washington, D.C. and on to the coast. (From Wikipedia)

2 comments:

Have you heard of a book called, "Road Trip USA?" - I have this book and the route you just took and the one you are about to take fits right in with this book.

http://www.roadtripusa.com/aboutbook.html

I almost feel certain you have the book but if not then I highly recommend as it will provide lots of great information for the US50 route. When I say information I mean (quote from amazon): "Mile-by-mile highlights celebrate major cities, obscure towns, popular attractions, roadside curiosities (if you’re looking for the world’s largest jackalope, you’re in luck), local lore, and oddball trivia. With full coverage of more than 350,000 miles of classic blacktop, Road Trip USA will take you off the beaten path and into the soul of America."

Hi Barbara -- Thanks for the suggestion!... As a matter of fact, I have that very book right here in my hand and was just going to "scope out" my first day's drive for tomorrow... It is a very good book... Thanks again, Mac

Alaskan Summer Travel

The Voyage of Macgellan 2.0

Map & Photos or All Posts
A second Voyage of Macgellan:
An 8-month exploration around
North Atlantic islands and coasts.December 2010 - July 2011

Yacht Delivery

All Posts: Sailing a 48-foot yacht
from Stamford, CT to Bermuda
and on to the Virgin Islands!October - November 2011

Hemp Farming

All Posts: R & D farming to help
restore industrial hemp as a
vital US agroindustrial crop.Feb 2015 to Nov 2016

Various

All Posts: All the other moments,
events and experiences fromThe World of Macgellan!May 2006 to Present

YouTube

Direct access to all of Macgellan's
videos... Watch some now!May 2006 to Present

Road Trips!

US Hwy 2 -- "End-to-End"
America's stalwart "Hi-Line" from
Everett, WA to Houlton, ME...
with a bit of Canada to boot!June - July 2009The AlCan Highway
Eight days on the road from
Seattle to Fairbanks! Complete
coverage of every grueling mile!October 2009Dalton Highway -- "Haul Road"
The infamous "Haul Road" along
the Alaska Pipeline: Fairbanks to
Deadhorse and back... Amazing!June 2010US Hwy 101 -- "Pacific Coast"
The classic, westernmost old US
Highway, driving from north to
south along the Pacific coast.August 2011 - to be continuedUS Hwy 50 -- "Coast-to-Coast"
"The Backbone of America" runs
3,000 miles from coast to coast,
on "The Loneliest Road" & more!August - September 2011The Pony Express! (I & II)
Fast-hauling horses from South-
Central Pennsylvania to Fort
Collins, Colorado... Giddy-up!June 2012 & August 2013US Hwy 30 -- "Coast-to-Coast"
The third longest US Route runs
3,000+ miles from coast to coast,
on "The Lincoln Highway" & more!July - September 2012US Hwy 20 -- "Coast-to-Coast"
"The Longest Road" in America
runs 3,365 miles coast to coast,
from Newport, OR, to Boston, MA!April - May 2013 (Suspended)US Hwy 70 -- "Coast-to-End"
"The Broadway of America" runs
2,385 miles from the NC coast
to deep in the Arizona desert!April - June 2014US Hwy 191 -- "Border-to-Border"
An international route running
2,000 miles between US borders
with Mexico and Canada!June - July 2014

• • • • •

Road Rig Updates!
Here's where you can find all the
history, evolution and news about
my fantastic Road Rig! June 2009 to Present